A Silent Ocean Away

by DeVa Gantt

  Her pulse quickened. “I hear, Father, and I’ll do just as you say.”

  He showed great surprise, and his rage ebbed.

  Charmaine raised her chin. “I would love to work for the Harringtons. That is, if they’ll have me.”

  “Oh, they’ll have you, all right,” he reasoned, “unless your mother here has been lyin’ ’bout what them folks are lookin’ for.”

  Marie ignored her husband’s remark. “Charmaine, you can’t do this.”

  “Why not?” she queried.

  “Yeah, why not, Mother?”

  “Because of your life at St. Jude’s, your education.”

  “What life?” Charmaine countered. “I don’t have a life there, and I certainly don’t have one here.” Ire and pain sparked in her brown eyes, daggers of hatred she shot at her father. “I want to leave, because once I’m employed by decent people, I’ll no longer be living under your roof!”

  But the declaration did not rile him, for he had gotten exactly what he wanted.

  Chapter 1

  Friday, September 9, 1836

  Richmond, Virginia

  JOHN Duvoisin watched the Raven labor from the landing stage. As her towboats released their lines, the cargo ship lost all momentum, and she sat indecisive for a moment. Then her canvas sails bellied out, harnessing the wind. She groaned as she cut across the current of the James River; her destination: three islands nestled in the northeastern waters of the West Indies. The islands, called Les Charmantes, were often considered the foundation of the Duvoisin fortune. To John, Les Charmantes meant much more. He tracked the vessel as she sailed off, and his mind meandered with the James. She was now but a toy on the wide river, and still, he stared after her as if, by mere eye contact, he could transport himself to her decks. A raging frustration had kept him from boarding the vessel this morning, his reward: bitter reflection, which chastised him for doing nothing. His internal war reached its pinnacle as the Raven traversed the river’s bend and vanished from view. He drove rigid fingers through his tousled hair as if to liberate his turbulent thoughts, then strode from the bustling wharf, oblivious of Richmond’s busy waterfront. He mounted his horse and turned it into the crowds, leaving thoughts of the Raven and Les Charmantes behind.

  “We’re moving! We’re finally moving!” Charmaine exclaimed as she peered through the porthole of her small cabin. Turning, she smiled triumphantly at Loretta Harrington, who sat complacently on the only anchored chair. “Won’t you come and see?”

  “No, thank you, my dear,” Loretta replied, returning the radiant smile. “I’ll allow the ship to take care of itself and pray that my stomach does the same.” It was the one reservation the middle-aged woman had about this entire trip: seasickness. But Charmaine Ryan was well worth any discomfort she might endure in the next four or five days, so she bent her mind to the task at hand. “Why don’t we practice a bit more for the interview, Charmaine? It will take my mind off the rocking of the ship.”

  “I’m quite prepared,” Charmaine replied, but she did as Loretta suggested and came and sat beside the woman who had become a second mother to her…

  Charmaine had been welcomed into the Harrington house nearly three years ago. Marie Ryan had contacted the couple when she realized her daughter would not be talked out of her decision to leave home, and Joshua Harrington had taken an immediate liking to the sensitive yet talkative fifteen-year-old. In her large brown eyes, he saw a determination rarely found in one so young, and in her words, noted a firm conviction for what was right and good. After that first meeting, he was certain Charmaine Ryan would make an excellent companion for his wife, who sorely missed her five grown sons. He hoped the girl would become the daughter Loretta never had.

  Within a fortnight, all the arrangements had been made, and Charmaine left one life behind to begin another. She moved into a pretty, whitewashed house in a residential section of Richmond, taking her meager belongings with her. She would live with the Harringtons during the week and spend the weekends with her parents.

  Charmaine’s only regret was leaving her mother to fend for herself. But Marie began spending more and more time at the St. Jude Refuge, drawing solace from the work there, content to shoulder the woes of others rather than dwell on her own, happy in fact. Thus, Charmaine found it strange when she grew unusually distant one weekend, surmising some misfortunate troubled her. Though Marie avoided the details, she said, “I used to think only the poor suffer, but I was wrong. Perhaps the greater the wealth, the deeper the pain.”

  Within the month, John Ryan decided to put a stop to his wife’s “charity” work. Charmaine was determined to thwart him, thanking heaven her wages had exceeded what he’d expected her to earn and that she had had the good sense to secretly retain half. Now she insisted her mother use it. “Tell father the church is paying you,” she conspired. “Then he will be happy you are working there.” Sure enough, his grumbling ceased when the cold cash was placed in his hand.

  Life with the Harringtons was a breath of fresh air. Under their roof, Charmaine felt secure. In this home, the husband treated his wife with respect and adoration. Joshua Harrington was everything a spouse should be. Likewise, Loretta was devoted to him. A dear and kind woman, she never had a harsh word for anyone. Charmaine benefited the most from the matron’s fine character, blossoming in her affection.

  “You are more than a companion to me,” Loretta had said within the first year. “I consider you a part of my family, Charmaine.”

  Charmaine came to believe this, and it was only when the Harrington sons ventured home that she felt unhappy, envying the relationships between husbands and wives, children and parents, fathers and daughters. Although she was always included in their gatherings, Charmaine was careful to remain aloof, for this loving family didn’t belong to her, not as long as her own parents lived. Her mother and father were a constant reminder of who she really was.

  For two years, she guarded her background, frightened the Harringtons would send her packing if they learned the truth. Though her mother was a good woman, she was but an orphan whose only stroke of fortune had been her adoption and education at the St. Jude Refuge. Marie’s parentage was probably no better than John Ryan’s, and he was nothing more than white trash in the eyes of civilized Richmond gentry.

  Loretta and Joshua pondered her pensive moods, which usually occurred after her visits home. They sensed she suffered, yet reasoned she needed time to overcome her reticence. Time, however, was not on Charmaine’s side.

  Her father confronted her one weekend. “You been workin’ for them Harrin’tons gone two years now. When are they plannin’ on payin’ you more?”

  Charmaine had received an increase, but since she continued to share half her wages with her mother, she’d set the additional money aside for herself.

  “I’ll ask them, Father,” she blurted out, the vow apparently appeasing him.

  Not so; her hasty response fed his suspicions, and for a week, he mulled it over. Then, late one Friday night, he decided to set things right. It took him a bottle of whisky to muster the courage to lumber up to the Harrington house on wobbly legs and pummel the front door. When the maid opened it, he pushed his way in, demanding to see Joshua Harrington.

  “I wanna know how much you been payin’ my daughter,” he slurred when Joshua appeared, “and I also wanna collect her wages personally from now on. I ain’t gonna be cheated outta what’s my right to claim!”

  “Man, you’re drunk!”

  “You’re damn right I’m drunk! But I’ll tell ya one goddamn thing, drunk can make a man see clear. I know Haley’s been tryin’ to rook her ol’ pappy, and I’ll be havin’ none of it! Do you hear?” He slammed his fist into his hand.

  “Go home and sleep it off,” Joshua cajoled, taking Ryan by the elbow and leading him to the door. “We can discuss this when you’re sober.”

  “Oh no, you don’t!” John Ryan objected, twisting free. “I know what you’re up to. You’re in on this li
ttle conspiracy. I want them extra wages I ain’t been gettin’, and I want ’em now!” He tried to grab Joshua’s lapels, but lost his balance and staggered into the wall.

  Joshua flung the door open and spoke in a low, clipped tone. “I’ve not withheld any wages from your daughter. Clearly, this is a matter to discuss with her, but now is neither the time nor the place. Charmaine has retired for the evening. Now, I ask you politely to leave. Go home and sleep off your sorry state.” Joshua pointed toward the walkway.

  John Ryan shuffled from the house, mumbling under his breath. “If you ain’t part’a this rotten scheme, then my wife must be behind it. I should’a known she was lyin’ to me.”

  Charmaine remained unaware of the confrontation; Joshua thought to spare her the humiliation. But he regretted this decision when the following Monday arrived, and she did not return from her visit home. Loretta grew worried. They didn’t know where the Ryans lived and had no way of contacting her. After a second day passed without word, Joshua went to see Father Michael. The priest had, after all, arranged the initial meeting between the Harringtons and Marie. But Michael had no idea where they lived, either. Apprehension set in when Joshua related the story of John Ryan’s drunken tirade. Marie had been absent from the refuge for four days. Michael had suspected her home life was unhappy, and though he had asked her about bruises that appeared overnight, she would brush his concerns aside with excuses. “Just a fall I took…I’m very clumsy.” Michael feared the truth, but what could he do? Today, his anger eclipsed the priestly vows he had taken twenty-five years ago. If John Ryan had hurt Marie and Charmaine…

  Late Wednesday night, Charmaine gathered the courage to return to the Harringtons. Her mother was dead. Slowly, painfully, she described the squalid life she had endured under her father’s roof, culminating with the past weekend when she had found her mother lying unconscious. Even though her father was nowhere to be found, Charmaine knew what had happened. She’d run from the house, crying for help. The neighbors had taken pity on her, summoning a doctor. For three days, her mother lay clinging to life, words occasionally spilling from her lips, begging her husband to stop. Charmaine wept when she learned a dispute over her wages had instigated the fatal beating.

  The following morning, Joshua visited the local sheriff, demanding the immediate arrest of John Ryan. Because Joshua was an upstanding citizen, the sheriff quickly issued the necessary warrant. If John Ryan were in the area, he would be apprehended.

  Marie was buried the next day, a quiet funeral attended by the Harringtons and friends from the refuge. Many mourners cried, including Father Michael. As the last prayers were spoken and the small crowd departed, the priest took Charmaine aside. “I’m sorry, Charmaine,” he murmured. “Your mother will be deeply missed. If you’re ever in need, please don’t hesitate to come to me.”

  “I will be fine, Father,” she said. “The Harringtons have offered me a permanent home, but thank you all the same.”

  One week passed, followed by the next, and it became clear John Ryan was either far from Richmond or cleverly hiding. The chances of making him pay for his heinous crime grew slimmer by the day. Many nights Charmaine lay awake, fearful he might be waiting for the opportunity to corner her alone. Although the Harringtons assured her he would never show his face again, she was ever wary of the shadows, especially when she walked down the city streets. Was he lurking between the buildings, in the doorways, watching and waiting? To calm her fears, she prayed for her mother, resolute in her belief that Marie had found peace in the afterlife and watched over her from paradise.

  A year went by and Charmaine began to relax. In that time she had become a daughter to Loretta in nearly every way. The truth about her background had changed the Harringtons’ opinion of her. They loved her all the more.

  Loretta took her further under her wing, determined to mold her into a graceful lady, certain she would recognize her value if her station in life were elevated. To this end, an elaborate tutelage commenced. Loretta prided herself on etiquette, and Charmaine found that by following this gentlewoman’s perfect example, grace and dignity became second nature. Loretta built upon Charmaine’s rudimentary orphanage education, introducing her to literature, fine art, and music. She taught Charmaine how to dance, how to sew, and they spent many happy hours in front of a blazing hearth with needlepoint in hand.

  Of all the subjects she studied with Loretta, Charmaine cherished her music lessons most. She excelled at the pianoforte, her talent perfected by the melodies themselves and the happiness and sense of well-being she experienced each time she mastered a particular piece. The salubrious effect did not go unnoticed, and one day, Joshua surprised them with a most unexpected and extravagant gift—the “improved” pianoforte, or piano, as it was now being called, touting it as the innovation of the century. Unlike its predecessor, this piano had additional octaves and a deeper, full-bodied resonance. Loretta took to the new instrument like a duck to water. Inspired, Charmaine strove to fine tune her skill, and with time, had to congratulate herself, for whenever the Harrington sons came to call, their children would gather around the keyboard, requesting she play.

  She looked forward to these convivial visits, though they led to new yearnings. Loretta saw it and knew Charmaine wondered where her life was leading. “She needs a husband,” Loretta told Joshua one evening. “Don’t you see how longingly she looks at our boys and their children?” When Joshua snorted, she fretted the more. “If only one of our sons weren’t married…”

  Loretta began inviting eligible young men to the house; but none of them caught Charmaine’s fancy. In fact, Loretta was certain the girl remained ignorant of her plan until one day Charmaine put a stop to it. “Mrs. Harrington, I’m not interested in the gentlemen you’ve invited here to meet me.” When Loretta feigned confusion, she continued with, “I don’t think I’ll ever marry. I never want to live the life my mother lived.”

  Loretta anguished over the declaration. “Charmaine, not all men are like your father. Take Joshua, for instance. He is kind and loving. You can have such a husband someday, too. But it won’t happen if you see your father in every man.”

  “Better I remember the likes of my father than turn a blind eye to reality. I felt my mother’s pain—lived with it. I cannot forget that so easily.”

  “Charmaine, you’re too young to give up on all mankind. There is someone out there for you, but you must open your heart.” One look at Charmaine’s stormy countenance, and Loretta knew it would take more than words to convince her.

  From that day forward, Loretta was determined to change Charmaine’s way of thinking, to nudge her from the safe but isolated haven of the Harrington house into the world of the living. Easier said than done. Just as exasperation was setting in, a novel opportunity presented itself. Loretta knew if she failed to capitalize on it, Charmaine’s life was destined to stagnate and turn bitter.

  A letter from her sister mentioned that Frederic and Colette Duvoisin were seeking a governess for their three young children. Loretta knew the name well. The Duvoisin family owned large stretches of land in Virginia. In fact, her brother-in-law was an overseer to the Duvoisin holdings on the Caribbean island where the family lived. Les Charmantes was a fabled paradise. Although Loretta had never made the journey there herself, her sister’s occasional letters always praised its beauty. Loretta began to believe Les Charmantes was just what Charmaine needed: a new home far away, with children, new acquaintances, and God willing, a future!

  Her mind made up, Loretta began her artful maneuvers to win Charmaine over to the idea. “I’ve had a lovely letter from Caroline,” she casually mentioned one evening as they sat in the front parlor. Charmaine’s eyes lifted from her needlepoint, and Loretta continued. “She’s written of the Duvoisin family.”

  “Duvoisin family?” Charmaine queried, and because she pronounced the surname incorrectly, Loretta repeated the French name: Doo-vwah-zan.

  “Apparently, Frederic and Colette Duvo
isin need a governess for their twin girls and young son. According to Caroline’s letter, they are considering only young applicants. It would be a wonderful opportunity in such a fine house and serene setting. Something like this only comes along once in a lifetime, if that.” Loretta looked up from her sewing to find Charmaine studying her intently.

  “You think I should apply?” Charmaine asked, certain Loretta had broached the subject for a very definite reason.

  “Yes, I do.”

  Joshua cleared his throat. “I don’t think that advisable, my dear.”

  “And why not?” If he says one word to waylay me, he will regret it!

  “The Duvoisin men are a wild lot,” he said, despite the look his wife was giving him.

  “Charmaine would be caring for three young children.”

  “It is not the children who warrant concern,” Joshua rejoined.

  Loretta shook her head, dismissing his protestations with, “Now, Joshua, we don’t live in the Middle Ages. Besides, I intend to accompany Charmaine to the island. If we find the position unsuitable, she need not accept it.”

  “Island?” Charmaine queried. “But I thought—”

  “Les Charmantes,” Loretta explained. “Or just Charmantes as the islanders refer to the main island. I’ve mentioned it before, Charmaine. It is where Caroline, Harold, and Gwendolyn have lived these past ten years. It is also the Duvoisin homestead.”

  “Yes, I know where your sister lives, but I thought the position would be here, in Virginia. The island”—she breathed deeply—“it must be very far away.”

  “Only as far away as a letter, and Duvoisin vessels are constantly en route between Richmond and the islands. The family is as much involved in shipping as it is in tobacco and sugar.” Loretta paused before continuing. “Of course, it is your decision, my dear, and it needn’t be hastily made. Think on it for a while. Isn’t that right, Joshua?”